Izzy Salant | Jewish News Syndicate | January 7, 2025
Olga Meshoe Washington, CEO of Defend Embrace Invest (in) Support Israel and COO of the international Zionist youth organization Club Z, died on Jan. 6 after a month-long battle with lupus, her husband, Joshua Washington, wrote. Born in 1981, she was in her mid-40s.
“My wife passed away this morning at 3:30 a.m. with her hand in mine,” he wrote. “After being diagnosed with lupus a few weeks ago, my wife passed out in the Newark airport on her way home on Dec. 26. I would have lost her then had my brother-in-law not been traveling back to the States with her.”
“She always talked about the day when she would finally hear the applause of Heaven for the life she lived. That day is today,” he wrote. “No other words to offer at the moment except please keep the Washington and Meshoe family in your prayers.”
He added that his wife was due for an operation on Jan. 7 but “did not make it to the sunrise,” though he was “able to speak to and sing to her just about 30 minutes before she passed.”
Dumisani Washington, founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel, wrote that his daughter-in-law was “an extraordinary woman” and “a brilliant attorney who worked in corporate finance when she took on the work of DEISI, compelled as her father was to speak out for Zion’s sake both as a devout Christian who knew her Bible and as a proud black South African.”
“Many knew Olga as a gifted speaker, a meticulous organizer and a passionate advocate. She was all of those things and more,” he said.
Born in South Africa, Washington held a law degree from the University of Pretoria.
“She was such a fighter for truth,” Masha Merkulova, executive director of Club Z, told JNS. “She always strived for excellence. She didn’t just inspire thousands of teens. She educated them. She made them stronger.”
In addition to her work at DEISI and Club Z, Washington served as a board member of IBSI and described herself as an “ardent pro-Israel advocate.” She received the Jerusalem Award from the World Zionist Organization in 2016.
‘We will always remember her’
Jewish communal members are saddened by her loss yet inspired by her bravery in the face of adversity.
“Olga’s dignity, brilliance, grace and her ability to easily touch the hearts of others were just a few of her outstanding attributes. In a world that has become increasingly divisive, Olga devoted her life to building bridges,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs.
“She loved Israel and the Jewish people, and always made herself available to help elevate others. We mourn the loss of Olga Meshoe Washington not only as a sincere, generous and important partner but as a cherished member of our international family,” she added.Michael Dickstein, the executive director of StandWithUs Israel, echoed Rothstein’s sentiment. “Utterly devastated by the untimely passing of our wonderful friend, Olga Meshoe Washington,” he wrote. “She was a tireless advocate for Israel and the Jewish people—both in her native South Africa and in the United States, where she made her home.”
Esther Panitch, the only Jewish member of Georgia’s state legislature, wrote that she was honored to be seated next to Washington when she spoke in May at a Yom Ha’atzmaut luncheon sponsored by the Jewish National Fund-USA.
“Her strength and passion for Israel as a Christian Zionist will always stay with me,” Panitch wrote.The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and other organizations also expressed their condolences.
The New Jersey Federation wrote that “the world has lost an incredible wife, mother, friend and advocate. Olga touched countless lives, including ours, when she spoke to our community just two months ago. Her loss is heartbreaking.”
A GoFundMe was initially set up to help combat Washington’s diagnosis. It has since been converted to help her family.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by their two young sons, Judah and Ezra; her father, Kenneth Meshoe; in-laws Dumisani and Valerie Washington; and two siblings. Her mother, Lydia, died in January 2023.
“We anticipate Olga’s memorial service will be in the Charlotte, North Carolina area in the coming weeks, and her funeral in South Africa will be in late January or February,” Dumisani Washington wrote.
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